Mall and property taipan Hans Sy achieved a virtual grand slam this November 2025.
On Monday, Nov. 24, he was honored by the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) as its Management Person of the Year 2025. MAP is the largest business association, with more than 1,000 CEOs as members.
On Tuesday, Nov. 25, Hans was honored for his management excellence by BizNewsAsia, the largest weekly business magazine, on its 24th anniversary attended by the elite of Philippine government and business, led by the First Lady Louise Araneta Marcos, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto and Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo.
Both events are stories of hope, economic buoyancy and faith in the nation’s future.
On Nov. 30, Sunday, there was another event that convinced me of a sign of a better future: a double rainbow appeared at half past 4 p.m. just as a whole day rally led by the powerful Catholic Church at the People Power shrine at EDSA was winding up. A much smaller rally, 6 kms to the west at the Luneta, was also held by leftist groups. I am sure the Luneta crowd also saw the rainbow.
Hans Sy’s acceptance speech at the MAP awarding rites bristled with hope and optimism about our country’s future.
The Philippines is a country destined by geology, geography, geopolitics and groundbreaking democracy to frequently face disasters and challenges.
“The Philippines sits in the Pacific Ring of Fire and the typhoon belt. We deal with earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and storms on a regular basis,” said Hans Sy in his MAP award acceptance speech. “For 21 consecutive years, our country has been named the world’s most disaster-prone nation. Our geography has made our reality tougher than most countries. To some, that might be reason enough to leave the Philippines. But my family and I – we chose to stay.”
On my part, I say geography and geopolitics have made the Philippines such a coveted country for superpowers to include in their spheres of influence. No wonder when Europe decided to visit Asia in the 16th century, the first stop of the Ferdinand Magellan expedition was the Philippines. Filipinos then were not as welcoming to intruders. They cut Magellan to pieces and his body was never found. And they probably burned to cinders the cross his delegation was carrying with pride.
When the Americans came in 1898, paying Spain one dollar for every Filipino, they brought English and a rambunctious democracy which the Filipino dynasties of 21st century Philippines converted into a massive criminal syndicate. So today, much of the world probably wonders: where is the Philippines headed to?
My answer: the future can only be better and brighter.
In this regard, I predict Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will finish his six-year term, until June 30, 2028. Why? He has the support of five major and powerful constituencies: one, the Filipino people; two, big business; three, the Catholic Church; four, the United States and five, the military and the national police. Add to that the recent apparent conversion of the Iglesia ni Cristo, which turned away a ragtag group of Duterte Diehards from joining their recent massive indignation rally.
So Mr. President, please make good on your promise – arrest, charge, jail the corrupt, no matter who gets hurt. The people want you to hear them.
Back to Hans Sy. He told the MAP crowd of Nov. 24:
“I am 70 years old now. And I still hold only one passport, a Philippine passport. That is both a fact and a statement of faith. Despite the risks, the noise and the many uncertainties, I have never doubted our country’s promise or the strength of the Filipino spirit.
“Our nation is not perfect. Our people are not perfect. Yet many of us remain here and keep going, because we believe that hope is stronger than hardship. That life in the Philippines, no matter how difficult, is worth the struggle. And that in time, things do get better.
“It is hard to imagine now, but SM was built on hardship and hope. My grandfather got my father to dream big, not just to lift himself from poverty, but to earn more than enough to help others. So from a single shoe store in downtown Manila, SM now has an ecosystem that includes real estate, banks, retail, schools and more. Our scale has allowed us to turn growth into service, generating jobs, building infrastructure and supporting scholars and livelihoods nationwide. The SM journey has not been linear.”
Hans reminded MAP CEOs: “We have been tested by political unrest, economic challenges and natural disasters. A pandemic even closed our malls. After each test, we came out stronger. Not because we were spared, but because we learned, adapted and dreamt bigger. We were able to navigate those moments because two constants guided our choices: our values and our sustainability framework.”
“In our family, we live by three core values: integrity, hard work and humility. These are the same values we teach our people,” Hans said.
Hans related:
“We have a very simple definition of integrity. My father would always say, ‘Whatever decision we make, we should be able to eat and sleep well.’
“Working hard is second nature to our family. We were raised to believe that there is dignity in every kind of work,” Hans said.
“My siblings and I still follow that rule today. We are in the office or on-site six days a week. But I would not really call it work. It is what we love to do. We enjoy meeting people, listening to customers and learning from our employees. Each visit reminds us that there is always something to improve, and be grateful for. I would also like to think that this is why none of us look our age.”
Finally, said Hans: “Humility – and the simplicity that comes with it – has guided our family for three generations.”
Integrity, hard work, humility. If only our politicians had them.
* * *
Email: biznewsasia@gmail.com